Kenneth Bjerre endured a disappointing start to his Speedway Euro Championship (SEC) title mission.

The Danish racer, who has been based in Huntingdon for the past decade, could only manage eight points from five rides in the opening round last Friday night.

Bjerre won his third and fifth outings at the Motoarena venue in Torun, but fell short of the semi-finals after two third-places and a last in his other three races.

“It wasn’t really the start I was looking to make,” admitted Bjerre. “But the good thing is we still have three more rounds in which I can put it right.”

The first of those is at Gustrow, in Germany, on July 15.

Bjerre was then part of the Danish team who suffered a diastrous exit from the Speedway World Cup on Tuesday night.

They fell at the competition’s first hurdle when finishing in last place in Event Two in Sweden.

It was no great surprise that the host nation triumphed at Vastervik with 37 points, but the fact Denmark were beaten by both Russia and Latvia ranked as a huge shock.

Russia scored 30 points, while Latvia and Denmark both racked up 28, but Latvian star Andzejs Lebedevs beat Danish skipper Niels Kristian Iversen in a run-off for third spot.

Bjerre managed six points from his five rides on a night when he twice won races but came last in three others.